The present invention relates to an automatic chemical analysis system particularly for detecting a fact as to whether or not a necessary amount of a sample is sucked and an automatic chemical analysis method utilizing the system.
There is known an automatic chemical analysis system which uses, for example, blood serum taken from a human body as a sample and causes the sample to react with a desired reagent according to an analysis item. A specific component of the thus prepared reacted solution is then analyzed.
In order to perform this analysis, first, a necessary amount of a sample to be analyzed is sucked from a sample vessel by a sample suction probe, supplied to a reaction vessel disposed on a measurement line and then reacted with a reagent supplied to the same reaction vessel almost at the same time with the supply of the sample. The resulting reaction solution is thereafter measured by using, for example, a colorimetric method to thereby analyze the concentration of the above specific component. The result of the analysis for each analysis item is outputted and reported by being displayed to a monitor or printed by a printer.
When the sample is sucked by the sample suction probe as described above, a monitor unit is provided for detecting whether or not the sample having an amount necessary for analysis is in fact sucked, and if the amount of the sample necessary for the analysis is not sucked, an occurrence of an insufficient suction error is reported as a result of the analysis.
Incidentally, the conventional automatic chemical analysis system has a problem in that when an amount necessary for analysis of the sample is not sucked, the sample must be remeasured because the result of the analysis thereof lacks reliability, and additional time is thus consumed and the sample is wasted.
More specifically, the conventional suction monitor unit only reports that an amount of the sample is insufficient. The result of the analysis for an item for which an insufficient suction error is reported is not reliable and this item must be remeasured. Further, in an automatic chemical analysis system of the type in which a multiplicity of analysis items are simultaneously measured by once sucking a sample, an insufficient suction error is reported on the result of all the items unless a quantitative analysis of an insufficient amount is accurately performed. Accordingly, these items have to be remeasured to ensure the accuracy of data.
Nevertheless, since a sample taken from a human body is precious and limited in amount, the use of the sample, which originally has a small content, for remeasurement is wasteful and not desirable. Further, it is sometimes required to take the sample again from a human body, which imposes a burden upon the human body which is unhealthy even if the sample is not taken therefrom.
Further, there is also known an analysis system provided with a dilution function, and it is contemplated to cope with the shortage of the sample by making use of this dilution function, but it is difficult to specify a magnification ratio of dilution.